A Wolf's Life
by Idoloni
Summary: [REVAMPED 17/04] A series of drabbles set in a world where the Hero was never really a Hylian after all. No pairings save canon.
1. One to Five

_**A/N:**__To my old readers: I still haven't finished the part where Link becomes a Hylian for the first time, and I'm still sorry about that. You may notice many changes to preexisting drabbles, some that won't appear or were entirely rewritten, some new ones and, hopefully, a better overall quality of writing. To my new readers: be glad you weren't here to see all that was here before._

_This was my first ever fanfic, and despite being not far off four years old I still kinda love it. I've recently been back on a Zelda kick after years of other fandoms - you can thank ALBW and HW Let's Plays for this revamp. Also, please direct your attention to this story's shiny new cover - I think we can all agree that even if I haven't improved as an author, I have improved as an artist!_

**A Wolf's Life**

**{1] [mortality] [1}**

Once, Zelda asked him if he'd ever been scared, on his trek over desert, plain and mountain. In those long and arduous months, often far from civilisation, had he wondered what he'd done to deserve this grand, unwanted destiny? Had he ever considered turning tail, leaving the weight of the world behind? Had he ever feared that he would die, terribly injured and terribly alone?

He'd mulled it over. Thought back to those days. Slowly replied that, really, when it boiled down to it, no. Death did not frighten him. Nothing lasts forever; not him, not Castle Town, not Hyrule. There's a beginning and an end to everything, he told her, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Why worry about the inevitable? More practical to reflect on the enemy sword's swing than on the consequences if that swing hit home. You do your best with what you have; take life as it comes and be grateful for every day it gives you. He had friends and family, home and health; many were not so lucky.

As an occasional member of the lupine race, he had a much simpler world-

view - not to say that he was simple, oh no, just...straightforward. But it was a perspective she could never quite reconcile with her own, so accustomed was she to peering into the future, trying to guess at what might happen next and planning accordingly. Royalty - or rather, _effective_ royalty - could not afford to be so carefree.

Nonetheless, it was an admirable standpoint; Zelda only wished she could take it to heart.

**{2] [belief] [2}**

Despite everything, he'd never really understood such concepts as 'fate' and 'destiny'.

Midna had once tried to explain it to him. "Imagine a book. You're halfway through it. The pages you've read, that's the past - it's written down, set in stone, yes? It's the same with the pages you _haven't_ read - the future. That's written down too - you can't change it. Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it's uncertain. Like, like how you and I were destined to meet and save both of our worlds from evil. That's destiny."

But, this only raised more questions - if history was a prewritten book, then who was the author?

"The Gods," she'd said, "Your Golden Goddesses. The ones who chose you."

Gods...and what were _they_, exactly? He remembered, back home in Ordon, the villagers often prayed to the Goddesses - Farore in particular. They'd tried to get him to do it too, but they'd never properly explained _why _he should, and he'd always viewed it as being a little silly, talking to the sky like that.

Midna had tried to put it in his own terms, as best she could. "The Gods... they're like alphas. Only even more high -ranking - higher than me, higher than your Princess, higher than the Light Spirits. The, uh, alphas of alphas. It's believed that they created the world."

This only confused him more – why only believed? How could they be unsure?

At this point, Midna appeared to have hit her explanation quota for the day, and told him

exasperatedly that no -one alive had ever seen them and anyway, if they were to reveal themselves to anyone, it would most likely be to him or Zelda and not some dimensionally displaced imp, so why not ask them _himself _instead of interrogating her?

Later, when Midna had fallen asleep, he'd tried to imitate the pose he'd so often seen assumed by his loved ones. He'd probably got it wrong - he'd never really paid much attention - but, well, he was sitting, wasn't he? _And_ his hands were touching - surely that counted for something. Already feeling a little foolish, he closed his eyes and asked the only question he wanted an answer to - and, as such, never noticed the faint pulsing glow emitting from the triangles on his hand.

He fell asleep that night quite glad to not have been born a Hylian. Bowing down to ethereal figures that may or may not exist! How utterly bizarre was that?

**{3] [interruption] [3}**

"I _do _hope that this matter will be resolved swiftly, Your Majesty," blustered the rather... ah... _portly_ Lord. The stuffy nobleman's poor wife stood meekly nearby, an apologetic look on her delicate face, wringing her exquisitely manicured hands.

"Indeed it will, Lord Grobbam," said the Queen carefully. One had to be circumspect when dealing with the trivial affairs of the nobility, for despite their pettiness, their fortunes were what kept the country running.

None of which meant that Zelda had to _like_ dealing with the upper class.

Lord Grobbam gave her a manly nod and made a move towards the exit, then turned around to face his monarch again, one digit raised. "And another thi-" he started before being cut off by the sound of shattering glass, the cries of the guards and the thunder of their approaching footsteps.

A large, greenish-grey wolf with cream markings sashayed into the room as if it owned the whole castle, a big grin on its face. Zelda scowled at it. Lady Grobbam screamed once before collapsing in a dead faint, and though Lord Grobbam had a sword at his belt, rather than protecting himself, his wife, or his queen, he put on a surprising turn of speed and cowered behind one of the curtains.

An overenthusiastic newly-recruited guard yelled to his lagging comrades, "Oi, slowpokes, the window-breaker's over 'ere!"

The window-breaker in question sauntered nonchalantly over to the Queen's side and looked up at her with what was undeniably a smirk on its face.

Zelda glared and hissed, "I appreciate you rescuing me from Grobbam, but did you _really_ have to go and break another window?" The Queen glanced up briefly, then whispered again, "Look, we can talk later. I'll be in the gardens at noon. Now _shoo!_" The canine seemed momentarily put out by the dismissal, but did as she asked and took off again. Not five seconds later, the rest of the guards made their appearance.

"Your Majesty! Did you see a wolf come by here?"

"No, sorry, Captain. Keep looking."

"Yes, ma'am!" The Captain and his soldiers hurried off in pursuit of the glass-shattering canine. Zelda shot the empty doorway an exasperated look, then went off to do more paperwork.

**{4] [attraction] [4}**

_Ha, you're so clueless, _people said. _Completely oblivious. Wouldn't know a pickup line if it bit you on the nose. _Like many things people assumed about him - that he was Hylian, that he was stupid, that he couldn't possibly fit _that_ much cake in his mouth - it was entirely untrue.

It wasn't that he was blind to flirtation. He was fully aware of what it meant when someone batted their eyelashes at him, or invaded his personal space, or tried to ply him with alcoholic drinks. It was simply that he could not have cared less about their advances and so, as with all things he did not care for, he ignored them.

Humans just weren't an attractive species, and neither were any of the other bipedal races. Such strange hairless creatures, they were, balancing so precariously on their hind legs and so enamoured with their pointless languages that couldn't accurately depict scents at _all_.

Not that he could honestly say he was attracted to his own species, either. When Ashei had found out, tactless as she could be, that had been one of her first questions. _So when there's a bitch in heat, yeah, do you…?_ She'd trailed off there, perhaps wondering if she'd crossed a line or perhaps too disturbed by the mental image to continue, but the message was pretty clear.

His immediate answer had been a resounding _no,_ but in all truth he'd never before given the subject a thought. Later, he'd turned it over in his head and come to the conclusion that the knee-jerk answer _had_ been entirely truthful.

He wasn't a Hylian. The first four months of his life he'd spent on four paws, chasing mice through the leaflitter and snapping at butterflies and wrestling with his siblings. He'd been told stories of snow and disbelieved them, taught to howl, and shown the best way to snap a rabbit's neck.

And then one day, he'd wandered away from home and never returned. He was adopted by a village of humans who taught him their language and their culture, how to read and write and count and solve problems more complex than 'I'm hungry'. They taught him how to ride, how to defend himself and others, taught him morality and future planning, and though he would never be a totally normal human, he could very easily pass as one. He wasn't a wolf.

Neither one thing nor the other, trapped somewhere in between...perhaps there was a reason he'd got on so well with the Twili.

**{5] [fish] [5}**

As he passed through Castle Town, nose to the ground following Ilia's scent, he picked up a fair amount of gossip from the oblivious city folk. Mostly he heard about how irritated everyone was with the lack of water – some were upset about having no tea to drink, others that bathing was impossible and yet more unhappy about being unable to send their prayers to the province's spirit spring. The Hero Chosen by the Gods wouldn't really have been too bothered by any of those – well, perhaps the first one. He quite liked tea.

However, the other hot topic of conversation seemed to be that of a 'Zora child', whatever that was. When he looked inquiringly at his rider, she just shrugged; apparently there weren't any of these Zora things in Midna's Realm. The wolf wondered what a Zora child was. Evidently a sentient creature if people were so worried about it collapsing and apparently a species or race only found up north. Absently, he speculated the appearance of these Zora things – perhaps they were avian creatures? Or maybe an underground race or even a thick-furred mountain-dweller? Hmm...

...Was it just him, or could he smell something fishy? There was certainly a rather piscine tang mingled with Ilia's scent, which was getting stronger with every step he took – he was getting close. Suddenly, the canine found his nose leading him into a side street, down a flight of steps and into, judging by the strong smell of alcohol, a bar.

Why Ilia would be at a bar with a fish, he had no idea. She didn't even like sea food.

Tentatively, he crept inside and concentrated on the floating balls of greenish-blue fire and was most surprised to see Ilia sitting next to some sort of unholy hybrid of man and fish, and if its ragged breathing was anything to go by it wasn't a particularly healthy one. But who knew how mutant fish-men breathed on land?

He was jerked from his ponderings by a word pronounced by the rather busty barlady he assumed was the Telma people kept talking about.

"... A child of the Zoras..." she said. "I wonder if this is at all related to the incident the soldiers were talking about in back..."

...So this strange dying fishy thing was the Zora he'd heard of. He had to admit that he was a little disappointed. He was expecting something much larger, with fur and claws or something. Not a half-dead fish-boy.

But he did quite like the smell.

**{] [] [}**

**A/N:** _#5 was prompted by Lord Geovanni approximately 5 billion years ago._


	2. Six to Ten

**A Wolf's Life**

**{6] [logic] [6}**

The bright Hyrulian sun shone directly overhead, illuminating the vibrant colours of the flowers huddled around the hedgerows of the shoulder-height maze that dominated this part of the Castle Gardens. Much of the grounds had been damaged, if not destroyed, during the Occupation and the Castle's subsequent explosion, but the skilled gardeners had done such a good job that unless one had visited before, it was impossible to tell that only a little over a year ago, half of it had been in ruins.

At the centre of the maze, there was a large stone pond, fed by an elegant fountain in the shape of a Hyrulian eagle, the bird thought to be the inspiration of the Hyrulian Crest up until very recently - during the salvaging of artifacts from the devastated Castle, a team had come across an old, forgotten vault beneath what had been the library, filled with what must have been the most ancient surviving documents in Hyrule. They told of the giant avian companions of the pre-Hyrulians,'up-wings', believed to be messengers of the Goddesses, and much more likely to have influenced the design of the Crest. Still, the statue remained of the Hyrulian eagle; it wasn't as though anybody knew what an up-wing looked like besides 'bird-like'.

The Queen sat contentedly on a bench beside the pool, shaded by a tall willow tree. Her eyes were fixed on the denizens of the pond, the ornamental fish brought as a coronation gift from Holodrum and the jewel-bright damselflies who had found their own way here. Sometimes one of the pretty insects landed on the Queen's clasped hands, and she would smile gently at it, beginning to understand a little of Lady Agitha's strange obsession.

And then suddenly there was a huge _splash_, scattering the damselflies and making the Queen jump nearly out of her skin, and a huge, soaking wet wolf leapt out of the pond towards her and proceeded to give her an entirely unneeded shower. Zelda scowled.

"Was that_ really_ necessary?" she asked of it, and the wolf simply shrugged, his tongue lolling glibly. He made a complicated-looking gesture, and abruptly there was a tunic-wearing blond man sitting beside her. "Also, did you _have _to come in through that window?"

Confused, he told her that if he had gone _out_ the window, he would have been going the wrong way.

Zelda just sighed exasperatedly. Perhaps the Hero just had an unexplainable aversion to front doors.

**{7] [appetite] [7}**

It was disgusting, Midna thought (and often told him so, as well)._ Sure_, food was costly in these difficult times, and while the temples and dungeons and various other monster-infested hell-holes they trekked through contained maybe several hundred rupees in assorted chests and pots, that money wouldn't last forever... But_ still_, couldn't he put_ some_ of it aside for proper, human food for once? While he appeared used to eating such things (and actually_ liked_ most of it!), she was_ royalty_! Midna was accustomed to delicious well-cooked meats, juicy exotic fruit, soft sweet desserts and a myriad of other wonderful delicacies.

But_ these_ days, what she and her 'steed' ate was a variety of awful-tasting_ things_ such as keese, guays, moldorms and tektites, with the occasional rat or, if they were lucky, rabbit chucked in. They were all absolutely _vile_ in her opinion, but her canine friend seemed to love the things.

Midna had tried not eating for a few days near the start of their journey, but, eventually, the combination of hunger and her friend's perfectly executed kicked puppy look had broken her resolve and she resigned herself to eating icky things for what could potentially be the rest of her life, depending on how successful they were on their mission. (Frankly, Midna was not expecting victory. More like a slow, painful death, knowing Zant.)

All the same, the alleged Hero's table (or floor, usually) manners were appalling and what she really, really wanted, more than anything else in the world right now (even more than a long hot bath with soap!), was some kind of food that tasted halfway decent._ Anything_ was better than eating spit-roasted moldorm every night.

**{8] [carnival] [8}**

The annual Castle Town Carnival was considered by the youth of Hyrule to be the best celebration_ ever._ It was held in midsummer and people from every Province migrated there to have fun and fool around. All the inns would be packed and latecomers would have to set up tents outside the gates.

Usually, the Ordonians would make up a part of the latter – as a small farming community, they had little money to spend on indoor accommodation, especially since room prices skyrocketed during the week-long celebrations. But this year, the Hero had managed to curry favour with the barkeeper/innkeeper he'd met and befriended with on his long journey and secured lodging for the younger members of the Ordon populace, promising their respective parents that he'd keep tham safe.

The first few days of the Carnival were spent touring the huge town so that the Ordonians who had not visited before – i.e. Malo, Talo, Colin and Beth, since the last few years' Carnivals had been cancelled for one reason or another – could learn the lay of the land and what kind of stalls were on which street and, most importantly, how to get back to Telma's Bar. This done, the youngest four spent the third day emptying their wallets of all their hard-earned pocket money and the next four pestering the eldest member of their troupe for more rupees. (He gave in, of course. Those four were worse than Midna had been at the very beginning. And it wasn't like he was poor – dungeon-sweeping and temple-cleaning was a ridiculously lucrative business.)

The Hero himself used those last five days to flit from place to place, locating the friends he'd made and occasionally playing against them in one activity or another at one of the innumerable stands. Ashei in particular seemed keen to challenge the swordsman at anything – whenever they bumped into each other, the mountain girl would drag him off to the nearest stall and insist that he be her adversary for that particular match. The hapless Hero was pretty sure that she was still bitter from being beaten in a spar all those months ago.

The last day he spent with his oldest friends, wandering around town petting animals and generally being silly with Ilia and Fado.

Later, Ilia told him that that last day was the happiest she'd seen him since before the Twilight Invasion. He'd grinned broadly and replied that she clearly hadn't been paying attention, before swiping the pastry right out of her hand and making a run for it.

(He'd tripped over a chair five seconds later, and both he and Ilia ended up laughing too hard to care when Louise was the one to eat the pilfered roll.)

**{9] [mail] [9}**

This quest of epic proportions could be summed up and described in many ways: ludicrously dangerous, completely terrifying, frequently irritating, grossly unhygienic...the list went on. When every day is an uphill struggle for survival, you learn to make the best of the good times, and for all its faults, this journey _did_ have its upsides. At least for Midna. Whether or not her canine companion wrangled any happiness out of it remained to be seen.

In any case, one of the events the imp looked forward to the most was the appearance of the Postman. Which, taken out of context by a complete outsider, would seem a little odd. Particularly given the sheer levels of _enthusiasm_ she reserved for it, nearly on par with her enthusiasm over her recent discovery of a Light-Dweller food called 'chocolate'.

Every so often, when she and her (ig)noble steed were crossing part of Hyrule Field to get to somewhere more important, they would be met with the sight of the Postman sprinting towards them as fast as humanly possible, effortlessly dodging the onslaught of murderous kargarocs and bokoblins, to finally come to a halt right in front of the duo and brandish a letter in her wolf's face. Who would then snatch the correspondence out of the courier's outstretched hand and snarl viciously, slipping into a patently obvious fighting stance and unsheathing his sword, all of which the Postman either didn't notice or completely ignored, which convinced Midna that he was either hugely courageous or mentally deficient. Then the idiot mail carrier would happily cry, "Onward to mail!" and zip off in the direction he came from.

But the best bit was when her steed decided to chase the mailman. He would grab the Stone right out of Midna's hands and, on his four paws, would gallop after the retreating simpleton, barking as loudly as he could. The Postman would turn around and scream upon spotting the rapidly approaching furry monstrosity and double his speed, screeching like a Redead all the way.

All the while, Midna would be splitting her sides laughing somewhere that had a good view of the chase.

**{10] [convoluted] [10}**

One of the things that annoyed Midna the most (apart from the lack of decent food or basic comforts) was the Hero's insanely convoluted methods to open barred doors in whatever temple they were desecrating that week. For someone who was born a relatively simple-minded animal, he sure liked to complicate things.

The Snowpeak Manor was probably the most infuriating, what with all the block puzzles that he insisted upon completing. Or maybe the Arbiter's Grounds – honestly, if Midna had had her way, they'd have just blown up that chandelier and been done with it. No, no, wait, the Lakebed Temple was the worst. All those goddess-damned _switches_, all those _rooms_, all the _electric jellyfish, _and the _damp_... She didn't even want to _think_ about that awful, awful place.

And the worst part? The worst part of it all was that the Hero hadn't gotten lost_ once_ in that terrible underwater maze, and _he never even used the map._

Later, he'd had the gall to call his inconceivable sense of direction 'logic'.


	3. Eleven to Fifteen

**A Wolf's Life**

**{11] [caught] [11}**

"Don't look at me like that, this was bound to happen."

He said nothing, glaring unhappily at the Princess – well, she was a Queen nowadays, but he ignored this change in title completely, and Zelda didn't mind so it was fine, really – who was standing on the other side of the bars, watching him condescendingly.

"I did warn you that I had finally appointed some competent guards."

He remained silently staring into the very depths of her _soul_. Zelda made a face and blurted, "Alright, alright, but you broke one of my favourite stained-glass windows! You brought this on yourself."

The wolf seemed to pout.

"Look, just because I can afford to replace it and you're a friend doesn't mean you can just come and vandalize Royal property whenever you feel like it!"

Again, he just stared. Zelda sighed.

**{12] [coronation] [12}**

Zelda's coronation had been held a whole year after the Defeat of Ganondorf, the end of what people had started calling the Twilight Invasion. Although everyone had accepted her as reigning monarch months prior, her transition from Princess to Queen hadn't yet been officialised. Normally, it would've been celebrated only a few weeks after the Defeat, but the long year under the control of the forces of evil had taken its toll on the kingdom, and Zelda's proper accession to the throne had had to be postponed until Hyrule was back on its feet and functioning as well as possible. Most of Hyrule Castle had had to be rebuilt, several villages (the largest of which being Kakariko) repopulated, the remaining monsters eradicated, the government restored, the incompetent soldiers replaced and a huge amount of other things that, apparently, could only be seen to by either the Princess or the Hero.

In short, it had been a long year. But even now, places like Kakariko were still mostly empty, the army practically nonexistent, the government still in turmoil and Hyrule Castle was still missing several towers, although the latter was the one Zelda worried about the least. The only problem that had really been resolved was the monsters – the Hero had done his job well and, judging by that wolfish grin of his when he came back to Castle Town after carrying out his mission, had enjoyed every minute of it.

But that was last week. Now was the coronation of Queen Zelda XXV.

As she made her way up to the platform upon which she would be crowned in front of the residents of Hyrule, regal head held high and utterly composed, she couldn't help but notice a familiar face at the front of the crowd, its owner clothed in green and wearing that ridiculous hat. She also couldn't help noticing his expression.

_Oh, dear Nayru_, thought the soon-to-be Queen Zelda, _what_ is _he up to now?_

**{13] [stardom] [13}**

One spectacularly hilarious event that would stay with Midna for the rest of her life, and would in fact go down in Twili history among the best anecdotes ever told at a royal banquet, happened one rainy day in Castle Town. The improbable duo had been searching for some refuge from the downpour and ducked inside an excessively vibrant circus tent; it wouldn't have been their first choice, but beggars can't be choosers and there wasn't any other shelter nearby. So, damp and somewhat irritated, the pair reluctantly made their way inside, intent on waiting out the deluge and getting on with their mission as soon as possible.

But their plans were scuppered when the apparent owner of the pavilion, who was dressed in equally gaudy clothes that could well have been made from the same fabric as the tent, spotted the intruder. The strange man's face lit up and he exclaimed brightly, "Ah! A customer!" and approached the stationary Hero, but then started sneezing. At the querying look the man's potential customer gave him, he asked between sneezes, "Do you happen to own a dog, good sir? I am afraid that I am allergic to the...'adorable'...furballs." Midna's steed nodded cautiously – it probably wasn't a good idea to tell the odd person that it was, in fact, he who was the dog.

The clown look-alike then introduced himself as Purlo and strongly suggested that the Hero play his marvellous STAR game to pass the time, and emphasised the fact that it would only cost him ten rupees(!) The game host's newest vict- ah, _client_ warily accepted the invitation and Purlo rapidly explained the goal and the rules and subsequently pushed the still-damp Hero into the arena.

And then, much to Midna and her wolf's satisfaction and Purlo's despair, the green-clad saviour proceeded to win the game flawlessly. Purlo's expression would forever be etched in the Twili's memory, of that she was sure.

But the best bit was when her friend exited the tent once the rain had stopped and was followed all the way to Telma's bar by a trio of excitable fangirls whose attempts to hide whenever their idol turned around were frankly pitiful. And _then_ what was even more hilarious was The Group's reaction when they were told of the green-clothed swordsman's newfound stalkers.

**{14] [dance] [14}**

Nobody spoke of The Incident within the gates of Castle Town, and even outside of it, only in paranoid whispers. Not because they would be arrested or punished in any way; it was just one of those Things That You Do Not Talk About. It was a moment that would live on through history by name only – the event itself would be constrained to the memories of those present, which was actually the vast majority of all relatively high-ranking people in the known world.

It was the wedding of the Princess (well, Queen) of Hyrule to a foreign Prince in hopes of a better quality of life for the people of both countries; a political marriage, in other words. Nearly all of the neighbouring heads of state were present along with the ambassadors of those further afield, not to mention all of the Hyrulean nobles and a number of the more well-to-do citizens...and a certain Hylian canine, of course.

However, The Incident did not occur during the ceremony, but in the reception afterwards.

It was perhaps the sixth or seventh dance of the night – nobody could quite remember, since it was quite a way into the evening and most people had had several drinks by then (some more than others – these could mostly be found snoring loudly in chairs next to the buffet table or dozing in hedges out in the gardens). Even the Queen was not entirely sober, which probably contributed to the mess. She'd parted company with her new husband several dances ago and since then had performed the Lynnan waltz with the Labrynnan ambassador, the foxtrot with King Ralis and an exhausting quickstep with one of the younger and more energetic Hylian nobles. But then the Queen decided to ask the Hero, who was lounging lazily near the buffet, chatting amiably with one of the guards posted at various intervals around the room – he seemed to know them all by name, and yet couldn't recall those of the nobles if his life depended on it, which Zelda found most suspicious.

He accepted her proposal of a dance, warning her in a slightly slurred voice that he was most certainly not the best dancer and that it was completely her own fault if her toes got stepped on. She sniggered in a most unladylike fashion and told him less than politely that he was coming along whether he liked it or not, at which point he informed her that he was definitely of the latter opinion. The not-quite-sober Queen then led her unwilling and equally tipsy partner to the central floor.

What happened in the five minutes that followed was what was known as The Incident and, at the behest of all parties involved, was never spoken of again.

**{15] [egress] [15}**

Spring had arrived, at last. The winter just gone had been harsh and seemed endless to the village children when they peered out through frosty windows at a snowy ground and a frozen lake. It hadn't snowed so much in years; Ordon was simply too far south for the great blizzards that plagued the northern reaches of Hyrule. Contrary to all expectations, the youngest villagers mostly elected to stay indoors throughout the cold season instead of building snowmen or having snowball fights as they usually did. There was, however, an obvious reason for this: their idol was in town.

He'd dropped by for one of his rare flying visits to shower them with gifts for the upcoming Midwinter Festival, but got stuck in the village because of the deep snow and freezing temperatures that even _he_, impermeable traveller that he was, felt very uncomfortable in. So he'd grudgingly stayed in the village, but assured everyone that he would be leaving with the ice.

The first month or so of winter had been, for the children at least, truly marvellous. The ex-goatherd told (or rather _re_told) them stories of his adventures and misadventures at their behest, taught them some tricks he'd picked up on his travels and helped them pull off pranks on their parents and on each other, like a favourite uncle or older brother would.

But it wasn't long until he started getting restless. He would pace the room with a frustrated expression like a caged wolf, and frequently became irritable to the point of snapping at anyone who dared speak to him. He was at his worst a few weeks before the thaw, a point in time when nobody really wanted to be anywhere near him and his mounting fractiousness. He'd had a taste of freedom on that long journey of his all those many years ago, and hadn't stayed anywhere longer than a fortnight since. Months of being trapped in this tiny little town with nothing to do that he hadn't done a thousand times before was driving him up the wall. He was tempted to just up sticks and leave, vanishing into the whirling snowflakes like a poe at dawn, abandoning his steed and all his loved ones to the cold, despite the fact that he would probably freeze to death long before he reached anywhere civilised, with fur or without. But he stayed strong and stayed put, trying his very best not to fly off the handle every time some brave villager tried to make conversation.

At last, though, Spring arrived and the thick blanket of frigid snow melted away as if it had never been, allowing the green grass to taste the sun for the first time in months. Birds long absent made their way back to the budding forests and filled the land with song, their chirps and whistles awakening all the hibernating inhabitants of the forest.

And with the thaw came the departure of the village's Hero, much to the disappointment of the children, despite his prickly behaviour. Everyone turned out to see him off, wishing him luck and a safe journey to wherever he was headed. The swordsman mounted his steed - a young but sturdy palomino mare, and one of his previous companion's two offspring.

One of the villagers came forward, a woman a head shorter than the rider, her blond hair tied up in a bun, green eyes glittering in the morning sunlight and a small child clinging to her skirts. Ilia, the swordsman's childhood friend. In the many years since what had gone down in the history books as the Twilight Invasion, she'd gotten married to a young man from Castle Town, moved briefly to the capital and then back to Ordon when she'd become pregnant so her children could grow up in the open air like she had. Despite all this upheaval and the amiable traveller's nomadic lifestyle, they hadn't really grown apart at all, as one might have expected. They were still the best of friends.

"So," she said, a little hesitantly. "Where are you heading? And...when will you be dropping by again? You know how the children love it when you do."

The man upon the horse merely shrugged, gave her a sad little smile and said, just loud enough for her to hear, that he was hardly getting younger, and if he wanted to explore the lands outside of Hyrule, he had better get started.

Ilia knew her friend better than anyone and she had long ago learned how to read between the lines. She knew exactly what he was trying to say, and she almost hated him for it.

_Goodbye._

**{] [] [}**

_**A/N:**__ This is about as far as I've got with the rewrites - Alarm and Reject, the old #20 and #22, will be in the next update for sure, but the other three are somewhat up in the air atm. Also! Feel free to give me word or scene prompts, or request a specific character or topic! I'll definitely be covering the language barrier and (at some point) Link's first transformation from wolf to Hylian, though. Ravens, Routine and Rumours will also make appearances at some point, but I can't guarantee when because I'd quite like to rewrite them completely._


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